Time for action: council

Doug Estey / The Brunswickan  

The cost of an education is only getting more expensive, and the UNB Student Union has decided to take a stand.

Following an impassioned presentation by Vice President External Jon O’Kane at last week’s Student Union meeting, a motion passed for the Union to formally position themselves against rising education costs.

According to O’Kane, upon completion of a four year undergraduate degree in New Brunswick, a student receiving government financial aid will have accumulated $34,000 in debt. New Brunswick’s student debt load is highest nationally, topping the average level by $10,000.

The Canadian government recently terminated the Millennium Scholarship Foundation, replacing it with the Canada Student Grant Program. The termination of this scholarship program has resulted in a $7 million dollar loss for New Brunswick students.

The government of New Brunswick also provides all New Brunswick students choosing to study in this province with a $2,000 bursary. Should the student live and work in New Brunswick for five years following their undergraduate degree, they will be given a $10,000 tuition tax rebate.

O’Kane speculates that the blanket sum of $2,000 would be better served if given to high needs and low-income students, as opposed to all first year students. He also feels that the $10,000 tuition tax rebate is more of a human resources retention strategy than a financial aid program.

The policy recently adopted by the UNB Student Union is not a fresh one, says O’Kane. The New Brunswick Student Alliance has been developing this policy for years and O’Kane has been researching its merits for months.

The foremost aspect of the policy is a student loan debt cap. This debt cap would ensure that students pay no more than $6,000 of their loan each year, resulting in no more than $24,000 for an undergraduate degree. O’Kane says that this will “catapult New Brunswick students ahead of the national average.”

Another aspect of the policy is an Income Contingent Loan Repayment Program, which dictates that students do not have to pay more than they can afford per payment period and if loans have not been paid within 15 years, the loan is absolved. The policy also seeks to provide assistance to groups that need it most, such as aboriginal and first generation students whose parents have not attended post-secondary institutions and low income students with the desire to learn.

O’Kane notes that now is the time for action, as provincial budgets are currently in negotiation.

“This decision is being made right now and if we sit on our hands, it’s not going to be made in our favour. We need to make sure that before the budget is decided that we’re vocalizing everything that’s important to us so that we are strong stakeholders,” O’Kane says. “Whenever you are acting with government you need to make sure you are keeping that professional and tactful mindset so that you are a very reasonable stakeholder, considered thoroughly and equal to everyone else.”

To show the government that university students are stakeholders and to better the chances of the government considering this policy for implementation, the Student Union will hold a Day of Action.

“The Day of Action is intended to draw public, government and media attention so that we can foster an investment in the community that student issues are important to the community as a whole. We believe that the programs right now are not properly structured to reach out to as many New Brunswick students as possible. The Day of Action is to amplify the student voice, so that we can send that message out to as many people as possible,” says O’Kane.

Plans for the Day of Action are still in development, but students can expect to see posters saying “Missing: An Accountable Government.” Postcards are also being sent to Premier Shawn Graham, with messages revealing the amount of debt a student has incurred.

The Day of Action will take place on Nov. 13.